1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mooring pad for watercraft for use in connection with watercraft protective accessories. The mooring pad for watercraft has particular utility in connection with mooring pads having side mounted flotation elements for positioning.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mooring pads for watercraft are desirable to protect the bottom surface of a boat from rocks and other hard objects along the shoreline. At present a watercraft must be beached to position equipment for the watercraft to be removed from the water. A need was felt for a mooring pad which included side positioning flotation elements to aid in lining up the watercraft with the protector.
The use of watercraft protective accessories is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,455 to Dvorak discloses a watercraft protection mat that is to be placed at the shoreline prior to beaching of a watercraft. The watercraft, when being beached, is to have its hull to be maneuvered onto the mat. The mat is to include appropriate openings to facilitate its connection with a plurality of fasteners that function as a tie down arrangement to secure the mat in position at the shoreline. The heads of the fasteners are to be covered by a covering flap when the mat is in use. The mat is to include appropriate weights so that it will sink within the water. The weights are each to include loose particulate matter that will conform to irregular shapes located at the shore insuring that the mat will rest evenly on the shore. The mat also includes elongated rigid members which function as stiffeners to keep the mat from bunching up, thereby retaining its established position. The mat is to be constructed of a plurality of layers with there being a cushiony layer located in between a top layer and a bottom layer. However, the Dvorak '455 patent does not include side-mounted flotation elements.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,719 to Hughes et al. discloses a protective boat hull device is disclosed to prevent damage to a boat hull during beaching. An elongated flexible and waterproof sheet is provided having a length substantially greater than the width thereof, and capable of being wound into a roll along the elongated length thereof for storage purposes. The sheet includes a centering notch extending across the width of one end of the sheet for engaging the front hull of the boat above the water line, in order to center the sheet underneath the hull of the boat below the water line and prevent hull damage during beaching of the boat. The sheet further includes fastening means to facilitate attachment and detachment of the sheet relative to the boat. However, the Hughes et al. '719 patent does not include side-mounted flotation elements.
Lastly, United States Patent Number Des 370,657 to Block, Jr. discloses a boat hull protector that forms a protective bib strapped to the front of the watercraft. However, the Block, Jr. '657 patent does not include side-mounted flotation elements.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a mooring pad for watercraft that allows mooring pads having side mounted flotation elements for positioning. The Dvorak '455, Hughes et al. '719 and Block, Jr. '657 patents make no provision for including side-mounted flotation elements.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved mooring pad for watercraft which can be used for mooring pads having side mounted flotation elements for positioning. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the mooring pad for watercraft according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of mooring pads having side mounted flotation elements for positioning.